A book club was always something I’d wanted to join, I’ve been talking about it for years… but like many things I talk about doing, I never actually did it. I love to read, and I must say, I do read a lot. I have so many friends who say “I never have any time to read” or “I haven’t read a book in ages”. Well, I have, but I have no one to talk with about the books I read. So one day last month, for some reason, I finally put my money where my mouth is and started a book club.

I contacted my coolest girlfriends, did a survey to decide what to call ourselves. Our name Ladies Lit Squad is a play on the title of THIS Skepta song. Literature and Grime, a match made in heaven.

Then I asked around at a few hotels in central London to see if they would host us, The Hoxton in Shoreditch obliged. I created a Facebook group. Chose the book (How to Murder Your Life by Cat Marnell). Read the book. Paperchase kindly created some Ladies Lit Squad notebooks for our literary musings. And the rest is history.

If you’re a tuned-in lady in central London and you love a good book, and sisters coming together for a chat and a glass of fizz, then why not join us for the next one? Ladies Lit Squad is definitely not your average book club – we’re obviously all SUPAH cool, tuned-in gals. Our first meeting was very chi-chi but I have some great plans for the next one…

If you want to join email me at ladieslitsquad@outlook.com

Tips for starting a book club

• Choose a good name, we did float the idea of ‘Cliterature’ but thought it might potentially put off sponsors – also a bit embarrassing to say to your mum/boss.
• Decide what your USP is? LLS is named after a grime song and our first book was about a crack-addled New York party girl. We’re fun!
• What extras can you add to the group? I made a logo, stickers and got personalised notebooks so the girls felt a little bit spesh.
• Give people enough time to read the book – and make notes as you read. I read the book really early on and then kind of forgot all the bits I wanted to remember.
• Have fun! We talked about the book but also boys, work, life.
• Bring together people from different groups – I invited colleagues, friends, ex-colleagues, Twitter friends and an internet friend I’d never met in person. The dynamic was great. 
• Have a game plan. I need to hone this, but I did write some jumping off questions and make sure everyone knew the time and date. Basic but essential.

 

Try these posts next: 

5 Books to Read on Your Holiday

You Need To Read… The Girls by Emma Cline

6 Inspiring Books to Load on to Your Kindle Before a RTW Trip

BUY TICKETS FOR THE NEXT EVENT

document.getElementById(“billetto_tickets_widget_embed_205945”).src = “https://billetto.co.uk//e/205945/widget/?utm_source=” + encodeURIComponent(window.location.href) + “&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=billetto_widget”